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May 14, 2016 · Introduced by Helene Cixous in her essay, The Laugh of the Medusa, ecriture feminine refers to a uniquely feminine style of writing characterised by disruptions in the text, such as gaps, silences, puns, new images and so on.
- Definition of Subtext
- Examples of Subtext in Literature
- Functions of Subtext
Subtext, a concept rooted in Latin’s “to work below or weave under,” defines the subtle, underlying themes within communication. As a noun, it takes form as dehyphenated subtexts or hyphenated sub-texts. Essentially, subtext operates beneath the surface, its intricate messages conveyed indirectly by speakersor authors and comprehended by attentive ...
Example #1
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens This part is from Charles Dickens’ famous book, Oliver Twist. It talks about a lady seeing a doctor, but the hidden meaning is bigger. Dickens is telling us that even girls had a tough life without good medical help. The doctor and nurse in the story act unkindly, showing that the medical people also don’t care much. In simple words, this passage’s secret message is that the medical world is not doing well, just like other parts of society. Dickens is using thi...
Example #2
A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy In Thomas Hardy’s book, A Pair of Blue Eyes, there’s a part where Elfride Swancourt plans to tell her dad the truth but changes her mind at the end. What the author is really saying, without directly saying it, is that Elfride isn’t just unsure; she’s also shy and doesn’t have much say in making decisions. Hardy uses these lines to hint that Elfride faces a challenge in expressing herself and lacks the power to decide things on her own. The real message, hi...
Example #3
A Very Short Story by Ernest Hemingway In “A Very Short Story,” the writer, Hemingway, tells about a couple kept from getting married, and they’re in a spot where they don’t have the right papers. Still, they act like they’re married. What Hemingway is really saying, without directly saying it, is that social rules make it simple for people to have relationships outside of marriage. The hidden message in these lines is Hemingway’s way of showing how societal restrictions can lead to relations...
Subtext serves as a literary tool that goes beyond the surface, offering readers additional information that encourages them to connect the dots and derive meaning from the text. It operates like a hidden layer, inviting readers to engage more deeply with the material. The development of characters can be witnessed by readers through subtext, as it...
Here, we’ll examine how to apply established principles of feminist theory to works of literature. Feminist literary theory is the practice of examining a book from a feminist perspective — that is, with issues of gender inequities in mind.
The subtext is the unspoken or less obvious meaning or message in a literary composition, drama, speech, or conversation. The subtext comes to be known by the reader or audience over time, as it is not immediately or purposefully revealed by the story itself.
- The Traditions of Feminist Criticism. According to Yale Professor Paul Fry in his lecture The Classical Feminist Tradition from 25:07, there have been several prominent schools of thought in modern feminist literary criticism
- Depictions of Women by Men. Students could begin approaching Great Writers Inspire by considering the range of women depicted in early English literature: from Chaucer's bawdy 'Wife of Bath' in The Canterbury Tales to Spenser's interminably pure Una in The Faerie Queene.
- Rise of the Woman Writer. With the movement from Renaissance to Restoration theatre, the depiction of women on stage changed dramatically, in no small part because women could portray women for the first time.
- Women Writers and Class. Listen to the podcast by Yale's Professor Paul Fry titled "The Classical Feminist Tradition". At 9:20, Fry questions whether or not any novel can be evaluated without consideration of financial and class concerns, and to what extent Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own suggests a female novelist can only create successful work if she is of independent means.
Jun 24, 2022 · Feminism is a broad term that investigates women’s position in society and fights for their rights and opportunities. The study of how literary texts depict or disregard women, support or challenge prejudices, has been the core activity of feminist criticism.
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What is subtext in literature?
What is an example of subtext?
Do poststructuralist feminists contest patriarchal discourse?
What is feminist literary criticism?
Nov 23, 2020 · Questioning the political and ethical grounds of language, the poststructuralist feminists considered here share a common opponent in patriarchal discourse, a feature that emerges in their readings of literature, philosophy, history, and psychoanalysis.